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The Canary Islands registered a total of 2,017 earthquakes throughout 2023, which is a significant decrease in seismic activity of nearly 40% compared to the preceding year, as reported in the annual summary by the National Geographic Institute (IGN).
This reduction is attributed, in part, to the decrease in post-eruptive seismicity on La Palma over the last year, with no major seismic swarms reported in 2023, unlike the notable events recorded in Las Cañadas del Teide in the previous year, as explained by Itahiza Domínguez, the head of IGN in the Canary Islands.
During the past year, La Palma recorded just 397 earthquakes, a massive drop from the 1,882 detected in 2022, which were associated with the post-eruptive process of the Cumbre Vieja volcano. This decrease is because of diminishing seismicity over time, with, currently, approximately six earthquakes per week according to the seismologist.
Tenerife was the island with the highest seismic activity in 2023, registering 671 earthquakes. In the channel between Gran Canaria and Tenerife, known as the Enmediao volcano, 565 tremors were detected, as per IGN's count.
Gran Canaria experienced an additional 177 earthquakes, while El Hierro recorded 84 earthquakes, and La Gomera reported 16 seismic events during the same period.
The most noteworthy aspect of the localized seismicity in Tenerife, was the occurrence of deep earthquakes in the Santiago del Teide area. These peculiar events repeated in three different periods at depths ranging between 40 and 50 kilometres, according to Domínguez.
Another significant earthquake, with a magnitude of 3.3, shook the northwest of Tenerife on November 27th, felt by the local population. Most seismic activity, however, was concentrated in the Cañadas del Teide area.
The expansion of the seismic station network on Gran Canaria facilitated the detection of more earthquakes on the island. While it remains uncertain whether there has been a real increase in seismicity, Domínguez stated that the enhanced station network allowed for a better reporting of earthquakes.
The majority of the 177 earthquakes on Gran Canaria were concentrated in the channel between Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura and in the northwest of the island.
La Gomera experienced an unusual spike in seismic activity with the detection of 16 earthquakes within a short period. Domínguez noted that this series of seismic events occurred in a brief timeframe, recording nearly the same number of earthquakes seen in the previous six years on the island.
Regarding the 84 earthquakes recorded in El Hierro, Domínguez speculates that the figure may correspond to the basic seismic activity in the area before the eruption of Tagoro. Despite the potential link to the eruptive process, there has been a continuous decline in seismicity since 2014, suggesting proximity to the baseline activity.
